UNIVERSITY HONORS PROGRAM

Dr. Robert Halli, DirectorOffice: 111 Temple Tutwiler Hall

Students seeking a special academic challenge in their undergraduate work can find it in the University Honors Program (UHP). More than 1,100 students from all schools and colleges in the University participate in the program. The University Honors Program gives outstanding students the opportunity to work with their peers and with outstanding faculty members in an enriched academic environment. Membership in the University Honors Program offers students the opportunity to combine some of the benefits of a small-college experience with those advantages offered only by a major research university.

Participation in the University Honors Program is recognized on official transcripts and on diplomas so that prospective employers and graduate and professional schools are made aware of the achievements of honors students. Students actively participating in the program also enjoy the highest priority for class registration.

National Merit Finalists, National Achievement Finalists, Hispanic Scholars, and UA Presidential Scholars and Alumni Honors Scholars are automatically admissible to the program upon receipt of their applications. Other students with ACT composite scores of at least 28 or SAT scores of at least 1240 are also automatically admitted upon receipt of their applications. Students not admitted as freshmen may apply to the program after they have earned grade point averages of 3.3 or higher for a semester's work at The University of Alabama. Transfer students with grade point averages of 3.3 on courses transferred to The University of Alabama are automatically admitted to UHP. All participants must maintain GPAs of at least 3.3 and give evidence of actively pursuing the Honors Program requirements to remain members-in-good-standing of the program.

Honors courses have limited enrollment in order to facilitate interaction between students and faculty. Honors courses often parallel regular University courses, but they offer enriched content and provide for more student input and creative learning. The University Honors Program constitutes neither a major nor a minor. Courses taken in the University Honors Program will fulfill core curriculum or other requirements, allowing students to pursue their own specific degree and study objectives within the honors framework. Students in the program do not take a full schedule of honors courses. Students usually take one or two honors courses each semester. However, all students are expected to take at least one honors course during each academic year of their first two years in the program in order to retain the privilege of priority registration. The evaluation of student work in honors courses neither penalizes nor unduly rewards students for their honors coursework. Most students perform well in classes they find to be interesting and challenging.

Students matriculating DURING or AFTER the fall 2000 semester:

Complete a total of 18 hours of honors credit, 3 to 6 of which may include an honors thesis.

Choose two UH (University Honors) courses at the 100, 200, or 300 level in order to graduate with the "Honors" designation. NOTE: PHL 202 Honors Introductory Ethics will substitute for any UH course.

Have the option of writing a thesis in order to graduate with the "Honors with Thesis" designation.

Students matriculating PRIOR to the fall 2000 semester choose one of these options:

Honors Division. The student takes a three-hour general honors seminar and selects 15 additional hours of courses designated as honors courses. With the approval of the UHP director, the student may write an honors thesis and earn 3 of the necessary 15 additional hours.

Special Honors Division. The student takes 15 hours of honors courses plus two general honors seminars (3 hours each) and writes a 3-hour thesis; or takes 15 hours of honors courses plus one general honors seminar (3 hours) and writes a 6-hour thesis.

Enrollment in honors courses will be limited in order to maximize student-faculty interaction. Course content will stress the development of critical, analytical, and interpretive skills. Participation in the University Honors Program will be noted on transcripts and completion of divisional requirements will be recognized at graduation. Honors students will benefit from a special advising program and have the opportunity to participate in a number of events and activities designed especially for them.

The University Honors Program is located in Temple Tutwiler Hall. The facility includes administrative offices, a student lounge, and three seminar rooms where the honors survey courses are taught. A small library of graduate and professional school catalogs, guides to graduate study, and brochures on scholarships and fellowships is also available. National daily newspapers, magazines, and other publications are available for students who are looking for a place to relax and make productive use of their time during the day.

University Honors Program Housing is available to honors students and is located in New Hall. This living-learning facility is an important ingredient in the establishment and maintenance of a strong honors community, for it provides the place where honors students hold social and extracurricular intellectual activities and engage in mutual support. The honors residence hall is coeducational. Honors students interested in living in honors housing should contact the Office of Residential Life; (205) 348-6676.

The Honors Program Student Association conducts a number of interesting events throughout the year and is involved in several philanthropic projects in the Tuscaloosa area. Student members have attended both national and regional conferences sponsored by the National Collegiate Honors Council and the Southern Regional Honors Council, and have participated in all areas of campus life. The Honors Program Student Association plays an important part in developing and maintaining support for academic excellence on campus.

The Jo Nell Usrey Stephens Honors Scholarship, the Barrett C. and Tolly Gilmer Shelton Honors Scholarship, and the Alton C. and Cecile C. Craig Endowed Honors Program Scholarship are available to three entering freshman students who are members of the University Honors Program and who are receiving no other financial aid from the University. The McWane Foundation Endowed Scholarship and McWane Foundation Endowed Research Scholarship are available to UHP students who are participating in research or studying abroad, and the McKinley Student Excellence Awards are awarded to students who excel academically after enrolling at UA but who are receiving no other financial assistance (except loans and work-study). The scholarships are renewable if the students maintain GPAs of 3.3 or higher and continue to participate in the University Honors Program.